This disclosure pertains to a composite fan containment case for a gas turbine engine.
A gas turbine engine may include a fan section containing fan blades that are surrounded by a fan case supported within a nacelle. The function of the fan case is to contain fractured and separated parts of the fan blades in a radial direction. Metallic fan cases can be undesirably heavy to perform this containment function. A composite fan case constructed of non-metallic materials can reduce weight and provide the same containment capability as a metallic fan case.
While these fan cases have many desirable characteristics, one challenge is the components must be attached to the outer periphery of the case, typically through threaded fasteners. However, the material utilized to form the fan case has not been accommodating of bolt holes. Moreover, composite material manufacturing and forming techniques are limited in the range of tolerances that can be reliably obtained.